As a kid growing up in Fletcher, A-B Tech alumna Camille Kurle, 22, dreamed of being a freelance artist. Growing up with a mom who was a freelance graphic designer and art professor gave her an early glimpse of what it was like to work in a creative field. 

“She inspired me when she talked about her years at the university,” she said. “I liked the freedom behind freelancing. Looking at what she did, I saw what I could do … I wanted a career that was sustainable and would help people in an artistic way.”

After earning an Associate in Fine Arts degree from A-B Tech in 2024 and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design from East Tennessee State University (ETSU) in May 2026, Kurle is forging a new career as a freelance graphic designer. So far, her persistence and networking skills have paid off. An internship at ETSU in graphic design led to a paid gig managing social media for the Mary B. Martin School of the Arts, which encompasses seven departments and four programs.

Kurle said she’s grateful she began her art studies at A-B Tech and then moved to ETSU, as each school gave her something valuable. “It was crucial to get the fundamentals out of the way,” she said. “I had a good amount of credits from A- B Tech in different mediums like watercolor, ceramics and sculpture. Then ETSU taught me how to speak with clients and work under deadline.”

During her ETSU internship, Kurle had the opportunity to create a brand system for Mary B. Martin School of Arts along with a team of other students. She created a branding color palette, founded a tagline for the school, and crafted a project proposal that summed up the package for the school’s director. 

Before graduating, Kurle reached out to the director to ask who would be managing the work her team created. She expressed interest in managing social media and, to her surprise, was offered the position soon afterwards.

For Kurle, the 10 hours of weekly social media work now provide a stable base for her freelance work. So far, she has supplemented it with work found through friends and family and through social media. One of her recent jobs was for Asheville’s Barkin Brew Bites, which creates dog treats from local breweries’ spent grain. Kurle created colorful dog treat bags that will soon be on shelves at Ingles and Advanced Auto Parts.

When she’s not working, Kurle volunteers 10 hours a week for the Asheville chapter of American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) as Education Chair, a job where she plans events including an annual student portfolio review that connects emerging artists with local professionals. Her role involves working with local schools to recruit students for the free event as well as creating all relevant event design materials. Kurle landed the position while a student at ETSU participating in the portfolio review; the designer who was leading the event at the time needed to leave her position and recommended Kurle for the job.

“That was the exact step I needed to get in the right direction,” she said. “It was like stepping into the circle. Now I am connecting with creative directors who could help me find clients. I’m on the board.”

Along with art, Kurle has a passion for food cultivated during her four years working as a line cook at The Cliffs at Valley, a country club in Traveler’s Rest, SC. In her role she got to garnish upscale dessert plates with drizzles of colorful syrup and edible flowers. “Presentation matters,” she said. “That’s applicable to both culinary and art.”

A second internship at ETSU enabled her to combine her love for food and art.  Working with Ingles, Kurle helped out on food photo shoots, doing everything from setting up plates, to photographing food and creating downloadable recipe sheets.

In the future Kurle would love to specialize in luxury food branding for restaurants, hotels and resorts. In the meantime, she’s working on building a strong base of regular freelance clients and enjoying the perks of working from home just like her artist mother once did.

“I like the freedom behind it,” she said. “There are hours I have to be available for clients, but otherwise I can design any hour I want.”